Legendary WWE Interviewer ‘Mean’ Gene Okerlund Dead at 76

The most iconic interviewer in professional wrestling history, “Mean” Gene Okerlund, has died at age 76. No cause of death has been announced just yet, but the entertainment world has come together to pay tribute to the man behind the microphone.

“Mean” Gene was given his name by Jesse “The Body” Ventura while interviewing wrestlers in the AWA. Soon after, he’d move to WWE, becoming a cornerstone of the brand during its boom in the 1980s. “Well let me tell ya somethin’ Mean Gene,” became one of Hulk Hogan’s signature lines during the rise of Hulkamania.

Okerlund was also an accomplished singer, using his golden voice to sing the National Anthem at the first ever Wrestlemania in 1985. That same year, he sang Little Richard’s classic “Tutti Frutti” on WWE’s The Wrestling Album.

In 2006, Okerlund was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. We’d like to offer our deepest condolences to the loved ones of “Mean” Gene Okerlund and the WWE family.